The Native American Studies Shelf

Dancing for Our Tribe
Sharon Hoogstraten
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9781733674423, $80.00, HC, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Our-Tribe-Potawatomi-Millennium/dp/173367442=
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Synopsis: In the heyday of the Anishinaabe Confederacy, the Potawatomis spr= ead across Canada, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Pressured by=
the westward expansion of the fledgling United States of America, they bec= ame the most treatied of any Indian tribe. Forced removals and multiple tre= aty-era relocations resulted in cultural chaos and an enduring threat to th= eir connections to the ancestors. Despite these hardships, they have manage=
d to maintain (or restore) their rich heritage.

Beginning with Citizen Potawatomi Nation, photographer and Citizen Potawato=
mi Sharon Hoogstraten visited all nine nations of the scattered Potawatomi = tribe to construct a permanent record of present-day Potawatomis wearing th=
e traditional regalia passed down through the generations, modified to refl= ect the influence and storytelling of contemporary life. While the silver m= onochrome portraits that captured Native life at the turn of the twentieth = century are a priceless record of those times, they also contribute to the = impression that most Indian tribes exist only as obscure remnants of a diml=
y remembered past.

With more than 150 formal portraits and illuminating handwritten statements=
, "Dancing for Our Tribe: Potawatomi Tradition in the New Millennium" by Sh= aron Hoogstraten portrays the fresh reality of today's Native descendants a=
nd their regalia: people who live in a world of assimilation, sewing machin= es, polyester fabrics, duct tape, tattoos, favorite sports teams, proud mil= itary service, and high-resolution digital cameras.

The Potawatomi nations have merged loss and optimism to reinforce their leg= acy for generations to come. Children and young adults learn from the elder=
s the old arts of language, ribbonwork, beading, and quillwork with renewed=
urgency. Preserving Potawatomi culture, tribal members are translating tra= ditional designs into their own artistic celebration of continuing existenc=
e, lighting the path forward for the next seven generations.

"Dancing for Our Tribe" illustrates vividly that in this new millennium, "W=
e Are Still Here."

Critique: A simply magnificent coffee-table style volume (9.75 x 1.25 x 13 = inches, 4.9 pounds), "Dancing for Our Tribe: Potawatomi Tradition in the Ne=
w Millennium" features full page, full color photography of men and women i=
n full and authentic regalia enhancing an impressively informed and informa= tive commentary. A monumental and seminal work of meticulous scholarship, n=
o personal, professional, college or university library Native American Stu= dies collection can be considered comprehensive or complete without a copy =
of "Dancing for Our Tribe: Potawatomi Tradition in the New Millennium" on t= heir shelves. Community libraries should note that this superb hardcover ed= ition of "Dancing for Our Tribe: Potawatomi Tradition in the New Millennium=
" would be ideal as a Memorial Acquisition selection.

Editorial Note: Photographer Sharon Hoogstraten (https://www.hoogstratenpho= tography.com) spent a decade portraying contemporary Potawatomis in regalia=
and as an unexpected dividend, discovered her own roots. A Michigan native=
, she traveled to Chicago for graduate study and then stayed having no clue=
that she was literally walking in the footsteps of her Potawatomi ancestor=
s. Beginning with Citizen Potawatomi Nation, her home reservation in Shawne=
e, Oklahoma, she called on all nine nations of the scattered Potawatomi Tri=
be -- traveling to Michigan, Wisconsin, Ontario, and Kansas. Hoogstraten pr= eviously published Green City Market: A Song of Thanks, a pictorial retrosp= ective of the groundbreaking farmers market that boosted Chicago's culinary=
reputation as a nationally acclaimed food destination. Sharon resides in t=
he Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago.

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